Pilotcast #026 - 2006.03.01

• Email from "Student Pilot Clayton:"  A pilot in his RC flying club near Madison, WI flew a model J3 Cub to 6100 feet.  Congratulations to newly minted "CFI AA," Pete Aarsvold.
• "Pilot Rinker" Buck reads the audio book version of the "Flight of Passage" book available from the iTunes Music Store and Audible.com.  The movie rights to "Flight of Passage" have been optioned again.

• A 14 year old boy and his buddy running away from home steal Dad's Mooney in Palm Springs.  They crash in the desert. AOPA's  "GA Secure" program worked.

• A surprise guest pilot for Pilot Dan has been invited to join the Pilotcast.  His comments may be of concern to his wife...and his AME.  
• Song: "Crack the Sky" by  Joe Campbell (03:50)

• Kent's story of his adventure: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5996
• Rick's "The Pilot Lounge" column on AVweb.com: http://avweb.com/news/columns/182708-1.html

• Rick's Pilot Lounge Column on the ski plane party:  http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182671-1.html

• It was around 0 degrees F on Saturday, warming up to 20 degrees F on Sunday.
• You can rent and get your seaplane rating in 65HP Piper J3 Cub or a 150HP Super Cub ski plane or seaplanes at Northwoods Aviation at KCAD in Cadillac, MI. In the summer they are equipped with floats.
• How do you brake?
• What about others on the lake like ice fishermen and snowmobilers?
• How do you know if the ice is thick enough to land on? A "ski float and go."
• Rick recommends Fred Potts' book on bush flying:  Guide to Bush Flying: Concepts and Techniques for the Pro by F.E. Potts
• The fun of winter flying is enjoying the performance of the aircraft in dense air.
• Can you land anywhere?
• Owner Derrick Derider had to "unplow" to add snow to taxi around the airport ramp and into the hangar.
• Kent landed the J3 Cub on a frozen lake for a $100 Hamburger and taxied up to the restaurant.
• Keeping the engine warm with an insulated cowl blanket.
• How Cessna converted to the Cessna 170 tailwheel plane to the tricycle gear 172.
• The Seaplane Pilots association: http://www.seaplanes.org

• Rick's latest column: "The Pilot's Lounge #97: Precautionary Landings"
• link: http://avweb.com/news/columns/191533-1.html
• Making a precautionary landing on a frozen lake.
• The difficulty of landing in snow in flat light.
• Having a way to get to safety and maybe, get the plane out.
• Off-airport landings do not necessarily have to reported to the FAA or NTSB.
• You usually don't need permission to take off.  Just prepare and use care!
• Are highways good landing sites?
• A highway takeoff can be difficult,
• It might be better to have mechanic remove the wings and haul the plane out on a truck.
• There are many power lines.
• Was one mile in five of the U.S. Interstate highway system design to serve as a runway?  Nope! http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/mayjun00/onemileinfive.htm
• Interstates are not bad choice for landing at night.
• You can't see the power lines. Look for the power poles. 
• The highway median is not a choice.
• Is it safe to fly across a long stretch of water like Lake Michigan?
• How high do you have be to be able to glide to shore?
• Calculating the point of no return.
• The danger of flying over water on hazy summer days. You can have no reference of the horizon.
• How Rick plans the topic of the next "The Pilot Lounge" column.
• The water skiing T6s: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5873
• Stories and inconsiderate pilots who damage how we look to the general public.
• The runaway kids who stole the Mooney.
• The drunk pilot who wasn't a pilot. 
• Pilots who refuse to "Fly friendly"
• Seven fatal GA crashes last week near Washington, DC.
• Kent will to return KCAD next winter and go for his seaplane rating next summer. 
• Rick has a seaplane party right before Oshkosh. 

• Coming soon on The Pilotcast: the return of "A&P Tom."
• Dan's club has decided to go for a Cessna 150 or 152 rather than the 182.
• Mike has a close encounter with a plane turning the wrong way.
• Expensive annuals.
• Aircraft owner nightmares.
• Check out some other recommended aviation podcasts:
• Will Hawkins' Student Pilot Flight Podlog
• The are some great pilot stories on "Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase" http://www.bettyinthesky.com
• Closing song: "Winter Sky" by Torchomatic (04:37)

Pilotcast show notes are at http://www.pilotcast.com

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